Device for collecting separate quantities of liquid



K. B. TATE Feb. 21, 1967 DEVICE FOR COLLECTING SEPARATE QUANTITIES OF LIQUID Filed Feb. 5, 1964 M512 zam),

f6) M5) dwf/-..M21 14(1) .6. MMT/19H75 www@ M@ ATTORNEYS m M n M UnitedStates Patent O DEVICE FOR COLLECTING SEPARATE QUANTITIES GF LIQUID Kenneth B. Tate, Englewood, NJ., assigner to Chas. Pfizer & Co., Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation f Delaware Filed Feb. 5, 1964, Ser. No. 342,711 6 Claims. (Cl. 141-325) invention relates to a device for collecting separate small quantities of liquid in individual containers, and it more particularly relates to such a device for use in a laboratory.

In conducting various laboratory tests on liquids, it is necessary to obtain pred-etermined small quantities of the liquid which are then subjected to various physical tests or reagents. Such quantities are usually manually obtained and separately measured which is troublesome and time consuming.

An object of this invent-ion is to provide a device for conveniently and rapidly collecting a number of predetermined small quantities of a liquid in separate containers. p

Another object is to provide such a device for simultaneously ,collecting such quantities.

' In accord-ance with this invention an elongated baffled dispensing chamber has an open end through which liquid can fiow and a closed end. A series of open-end baffies extend inwardly within the dispensing chamber between a series of valves in its wall for segregating quantities of the liquid between the btaflies when the dispensing charnber is filled with liquid in a substantially vertical position an-d the device is then disposed -in a horizontal position with the open ends of the baffles up. The valves are then operated to cause the quantities of liquid between the baffles to flow out int-o collecting containers which may be external, such as a rack of test tubes, or a compartmented chamber attached to the dispensing chamber.

In an advantageous form of this invention a barrel is rotatably inserted within a cylindrical dispensing chlamber, and the bafiies are disposed within the barrel. The valve means between the dispensing chamber and the compartments are provided by longitudinally 'aligned portsin thebarrel and the Wall between the dispensing andcollecti'ng chambers. By rotating the barrel the ports areirnisaligned or aligned from each other to close or open them. Thecornpartment disposed adjacent the filling end may b-e'usedv as' an overflow cbmpartrnent, and the port in the barrel tor the overflow compartment may be angularly staggered from the other valve :ports to allow the overfiowing liquid to drain into the overflow cornpartment while the segregated quantities remain trapped between the bafiies.

When the -device is turned from the vertical filling position into the horizontal position, a closure lmay be applied to the open end to divert the overflow liquid into the overflow compartment while the level slowly drops to that of the baffles at a slow enough rate to insure that bafiied portion of the dispensing chamber is completely full. The entire device or only the barrel may be angularly rotated to various angles to proportionately lower the level within the bafiied portion when it is desired to obtain less than the full quantities in each compartment. The portion of the wall of the oompartmented chamber disposed remote from the open ends of the battles may be made substantially flat to facilitate resting the device upon a surface in a horizontal position.

Novel features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art from a reading of the following description in conjunction with 3,3d4,%5 Patented Feb. 21, 1967 ICC the accompanying drawing wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts and in which:

FIG. l is an exploded view in elevation of one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view in elevation of the assembled device shown in FIG. l in the vertical filling position in conjunction with a filling container;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views in elevation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in the horizontal position in two different conditions of operation;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views taken through FIG. 3 'along respective lines; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken through FIG. 4 along the line 7-7.

In FIG. l is shown a device 10 for collect-ing separat s-mall quantities of a liquid, which is one embodiment of this invention. Collecting device 10 includes a baffled dispensing chamber 12 and a compartmented collect-ing chamber 14 disposed alongside each other. Dispensing chamber 12 includes for example cylindrical barrel 16 rotatably and snugly inserted within a `cylindrical housing 18, that is part of the hollow body 2t) shown in FIG. 1. Dispensing chamber 12 of device 10 therefore includes barrel 16 inserted within cylindrical housing and the later described valves.

AAn apertured wall 22 separates cylindrical dispensing chamber 12 from compartmented chamber 14 that includes separate compartments 14(1)-14(6). Inlet .ports 24(1)24(6) are disposed between each of compartments 14(1)-14(6) and cylindrical dispensing chamber 12. A series of valve ports 26(1)-26(6) in the wall of barrel 16 are longitudinally aligned with correspondingly numbered inlet ports to cooperate in providing a series of valves that control the flow from dispensing chamber 12. The snug fit of the barrel Within the dispensing chamber substantially seals the valves provided by the valve and inlet ports when the valve ports 'are angularly misali-gned with the inlet ports. The first valve port 26(1) is angularly staggered relative to the other valve ports for an 'overow draining purpose later described.

A series of open-ended bai-lies 28 extend within barrel 16`preferably substantially perpendicularly to its longitudinal axis for segregating predetermined quantities of liquid abovecompartment-s 1-4 when the device is disposed in'a horizontal position as later described in detail.

Closure 30 conveniently made in the form of a capped plug seals the open end 32 of dispensing chamber 12 by vice in the manner now described. v

In FIG 2 liquid 34 is Ibeing poured from bottle A36l through the open end 32 of dispensing chamber 12vwhen device 10 is in a substantially vertical position, and the valve means provided by ports I24(2)24(6) and 26(2)- 26(6) are angularly -misaligned with earch other to close them. Liquid 34 is therefore poured into dispensing chamber 12 until it covers upper bathe 28(1).

Capped plug 30 is then inserted within open end 32 of dispensing chamber 12 to seal it, and device 10 is then turned to the substantially horizontal position shown in FIG. 3 in which the lower fiat surface 37 on the portion of collecting chamber 14 remote from dispensing chamber 1'2 `and the open ends 29 of baffles 28 is resting flat upon a horizontal surface (not shown). Liquid 34 then overflows past the open ends 29 of bafiies 28 into the portion of dispensing chamber 12 adjacent open end 32 and over compartment 14(1). Ports 26(1) and 24(1) can be aligned with each other and to open the valve -means that they provide when the other valves are closed by an-gularly misaligning corresponding ports 26\(2)26(6) and 24(2)-24t6). This drains liquid overflowing over the open end 29 of baffle 28(1) into overflow compartment 14(1), but restricts its flow enough to insure that all of the baifled portions of dispensing chamber 12 are completely full. Spi'llage from the device is prevented by plu-g 30.

In FIG. 4 barrel 16 has been angularly rotated by turning plug 30 to align ports 26(2)-26(6\) with correspond ing inlet ports 24(2)24(6) to thus dispense the quantities of fluid collected by baffles 28 into compartments 14(2)-14(6). If for any reason it is desired to collect less than the full amount of liquid between the baffles before dispensing, barrel 16 can lbe inclined by rotating barrel 16 to any position in which the valves are still closed or by angularly inclining vthe entire device about the longitudinal axis of chamber 12. The lower edge of the baies then defines the level of liquid confined therebetween. The quantities trapped above each cornpartment 14 within dispensing chamber 12 can also be regulated `by varying the height .of bales 2S.

This device is conveniently made of a transparent material such as glass or a suitable plastic such as polystyr-ene. Various reagents may be added directly to compartments 14 either before or after the quantities of liquid to be tested are dispensed into the compartments. Outlet valves can also be provided on compartments 14 for discharging the segregated quantities of liquids to other containers for either an initial or additional tests. Dispensing chamber 12 can also be separately utilized Without collecting chamber 14 where the separate quantities are dispensed to separate containers such as a row of test tubes in a rack.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show the relative positions of .the bafes and valve por-ts in the two illustrated lphases of operation. In FIG. 6 valve port 26(3) is out of line with inlet port 24(3) of compartment 14(3) as are all of valve ports 26(2)-26(\6) with corresponding inlet ports 24(2)- 24(6). This traps liquid between battles 28 while overow or drain valve port 26(1) is aligned with inlet port 24(1) to cause liquid overflowing barhes 28 to drain into compartment 14(1) as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5.

FIG. 6 shows how the lower edge 31(2) of bathe 28(2) denes the height of liquid trapped behindV it. In the illustrated form of this invent-ion, it is necessary to rotate barrel 16 counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 6 by arrow 33 to align valve ports 26(2)-26(6) with corresponding inlet ports 24(2)-24(6) as shown in FIG. 7. This raises lower edge 31(2) and thus retains all of the trapped liquid behind baie 28(2). Rotation in a direction to drop lower edge 31(2) would lose some of the trapped liquid before it could be drained into collecting compartments 14(2)-14(6). Rotational indicia or stops 38 and 40 (shown in FIG. 1) between the two positions shown in FIGS. 3-7 facilitate the trapping of uniform quantities of liquid between baffles 28. An elongated drain valve port 26(1) provides drainage into compartment 14(1) during most or all of the rotation of barrel 16.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for conveniently collecting separate small quantities of a liquid comprising an elongated dispensing chamber having a wall .and open and closed ends, a series of open-ended baies extending inwardly from said wall into said chamber to provide a series of segregating chambers, a valve means in said Wall in each of said segregating chambers in the portion of said wall to which said baffles are connected remote from their open ends, operating means connected with said valve means for dispensing the quantities of liquid segregated in said segregating chambers after said device is filled by pouring liquid into its open end in a substantially vertical position and then turning it to a substantially horizontal position, said dispensing chamber comprising a cylindrical chamber having a cylindrical barrel rotatably inserted within, said bales being disposed within said barrel, said valve means comprising longitudinally aligned ports in said barrel and said cylindrical chamber, said barrel being inserted snugly within said cylindrical chamber to provide a substantially liquid-tight seal with said cylindrical chamber, and said valve operating means comprising means for rotating said barrel within said cylindrical chamber.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein an loverow drain means is provide-d on the side of said baile adjacent said open end whereby excess liquid flowing over said baffles in said horizontal position is drained. l

3. A device as set forth in claim y1 wherein the Valve ports in said barrel comprise an overflow port and outlet ports, said overflow port being angularly staggered from said other ports whereby said overflow liquid is caused to iow thro-ugh said overow port when said segregated quantities of liquid are retained between said bafes in said horizontal position.

4. A device as set forth in claim 3 wherein a closure is provided for said open end of said dispensing chamber for confining said overflow liquid between it land said baiie adjacent said open end.

5. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the portion of the wall of said dispensing chamber disposed remote from said open ends of said baliles is substantially at to facilitate resting said device upon a surface when it is Adisposed in said horizontal position.

6. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein an elongated compartmented collecting chamber is disposed alongside said dispensing chamber, said compartmented chamber having 'a series of separate compartments, and said valve means connecting each of said compartments with said dispensing chamber.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 482,815 9/ 1892 Steinmetz 222-7427 X 1,466,862 9/1923 Vanatter 137-265 X 2,740,571 4/1956 Busto 222-427 X FOREIGN PATENTS 262,108 7 1913 Germany.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL ROTHBERG, E. I. EARLS,

Assistant Examiners. 

1. A DEVICE FOR CONVENIENTLY COLLECTING SEPARATE SMALL QUANTITIES OF A LIQUID COMPRISING AN ELONGATED DISPENSING CHAMBER HAVING A WALL AND OPEN AND CLOSED ENDS, A SERIES OF OPEN-ENDED BAFFLES EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM SAID WALL INTO SAID CHAMBER TO PROVIDE A SERIES OF SEGREGATING CHAMBERS, A VALVE MEANS IN SAID WALL IN EACH OF SAID SEGREGATING CHAMBERS IN THE PORTION OF SAID WALL TO WHICH SAID BAFFLES ARE CONNECTED REMOTE FROM THEIR OPEN ENDS, OPERATING MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID VALVE MEANS FOR DISPENSING THE QUANTITIES OF LIQUID SEGREGATED IN SAID SEGREGATING CHAMBERS AFTER SAID DEVICE IS FILLED BY POURING LIQUID INTO ITS OPEN END IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL POSITION AND THEN TURNING IT TO A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION SAID DISPENSING CHAMBER COMPRISING A CYLINDRICAL CHAM- 